Episode 12 Role Reversal
by The C Trayne
Summary: An alternative to the few Leonard/Penny scenes from Episode 12 The Egg Salad Equivalency... little bit deeper but more meaningful.
1. Chapter 1

**This is a one shot that is supposed to take the place of the last few scenes in Season 6 Episode 12 of the Big Bang Theory. The Leonard and Penny scenes anyways... I liked the episode but I think it could have been done a little differently to greater effect. So here's my rendition of it :) It starts right when Leonard finishes his cello song.**

**As of now I do not own any Big Bang Theory characters, episodes, or rights at all...**

The Role Reversal Riddle

Penny fought to suppress a laugh as Leonard finished his cello song. "Yea you kinda are," she agreed to his final line _"I can't help that I'm cute," _and she walked back into her apartment, leaving the door open for Leonard to follow.

He quickly did so, leaving his cello in the hallway. There was a lot that he wanted to say and he wasn't exactly prepared to have been let in so easily. He watched as she flopped down on the couch waiting for him to speak.

"Look Penny," he began nervously, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you about Alex, I should have let you known what was going on."

"Leonard I don't care about Alex... okay, I care a little... all right she's a bitch but that's not the point!" Penny exclaimed, "I care that you were so happy about it, do I need to be worried?"

The look on his face was pure horror as Leonard got out, "what?! You think I would cheat on you?"

Penny couldn't look Leonard in the eyes so she just looked down as she blushed and whimpered, "well I'm sure you'd be happier with a girl like Alex..."

Leonard rushed to the couch and sat down next to her, he thought he was starting to understand what was going on, "hey, of course not, what would make you say that?"

Penny looked like she was about to cry and Leonard wanted more than anything to comfort her but she seemed to be deliberately leaning away from him so he could do little more than rest a hand on her knee.

"Well for one shes about a hundred times smarter than me, shes pretty, shes funny, and she probably wouldn't have to go look up words in the dictionary after talking to you so she would understand what you meant," Penny spat out almost too quickly for Leonard to catch.

It took him a second to wrap his head around everything she had said but one thing stuck out in particular and before he could stop himself he had asked, "do you do that?"

Penny blushed harder and looked away, "maybe," was all he got.

"Hey," Leonard started as he moved his hand from her knee to her own hands. He squeezed gently and said, "look at me... please." He waited several long seconds before Penny wiped her eyes and turned back to him, the look on his face was almost pleading.

"How long have we known each other?" he asked her simply. Penny looked kind of confused, "umm five years or so," she half answered half asked. Leonard smiled at her, "five years, 9 months, 3 weeks, and 2 days ago, we met," he said and looked at his watch, "in approximately 3 hours Sheldon and I would have rounded the stairs and seen you in right here, unpacking."

Penny didn't know what to say, she stared at her boyfriend for several long moments, "how do you remember that," she finally asked.

Leonard smiled harder, "its a time I will never forget," he responded simply.

"Why?"

"Because that was the moment I fell in love with you... I knew from the moment that I first saw you standing here that I would do anything to get to where I am today. And after fighting tooth and nail against every big, tough, hot, dumb guy out there, and even a hot, smart guy," Leonard laughed as Penny rolled her eyes at the reference to Dave Underhill, "if you think I would risk everything we have, everything I have wanted for almost six years because some cute grad student bats her eyelashes you are, to use Sheldon's own words, _bat crap crazy_."

Penny smiled as he finished his little speech but said nothing. Her mind was racing as she looked into the eyes of the amazing man she sat in front of. She had never really believed Leonard would cheat on her but to hear his confession after so long, she knew he had always liked her but he was on a different level. But was that a bad thing? For the first time in her life Penny found herself with a man ready and willing to love her for who she was. It was not an easy first time experience. Every man she had given her love too in the past had lead to some form of pain and misery. There is only so much one can take.

She inhaled deeply and slid her arms around Leonard's neck. Penny leaned in close and rested her head on his shoulder for a moment, "thank you Leonard," she finally said causing him to look down at her, she smiled as she kissed him hard on the mouth. Pulling back she said "that was the most amazing thing anyone has ever told me."

Leonard wrapped his arm around Penny's shoulders pulling her close as she layed her head on his chest. "You know I love you too, right honey?" she asked after several seconds of comfortable silence, Leonard looked surprised for a moment before recovering, "of course I do, why?"

Penny didn't look up, "I know I don't say it a lot... or like at all, but I really do, its just hard sometimes for me to voice what I'm feeling. I've been hurt a lot in the past and I hoped that by delaying saying it, I could delay any possible pain."

Leonard gently rubbed her arm, holding her tight against him, "you know I would never do anything to hurt you," he said quietly, almost pleading her to understand.

She looked up then, she stared into his eyes. Behind them she could see a sense of honesty, a purity that she had never seen in a guy. Penny had looked into the faces of countless men in her past; flings, boyfriends, even one night stands, they had all entered her life and just as quickly left.

Yet here, in Leonard eyes she saw something else, something different, something stronger... it was a feeling that lasted, one that spoke of eternity it was... _permanence._

"I know," she whispered and before she leaned in to kiss him. Leonard hesitated startled by the sudden turn of events but recovered quickly and responded in kind.

He carefully wrapped one arm around her back and slid the other under her knees. Struggling for a second Leonard carefully stood, it took him a moment to maintain his balance but he was able to start carefully picking his way towards Penny's bedroom.

"Where are we going?" she asked coyly.

"I want to show you, just how much I love you," Leonard responded.

**So here's that first scene between the two of them taken to a little bit deeper level. A little bit more emotional than the show might be but something for those of us that want Penny to grow a little dammit!**


	2. Chapter 2

**So here's the second piece to this little puzzle here. The second scene starts just like it does in the show with Leonard and Penny washing dishes or whatever in the kitchen. This scene is obviously a little shorter and I'm using a couple lines from the show since they were funny and I think they work. Thanks for all the support and reviews!**

Penny and Leonard stood next to each other beside the island in the guys apartment. They were busily finishing up the dishes from dinner, each just lost in the comfort of the others presence.

Penny finally broke the silence when she handed Leonard the last plate and said, "so I've been thinking about this whole thing with Alex,"

Leonard internally panicked and turned slowly, unsure of what was to come, "uh oh," he said half playfully hoping to defuse any tension.

She laughed at him, "oh stop, its nothing bad, I've just been thinking about why I was so threatened by her in the first place and I realized it was because of how much smarter she is than I am. She knows a lot about all the things that interest you guys so much," she paused there and Leonard jumped in.

"You know I don't care about that right?" he asked her hesitantly, "I have had plenty of opportunities to be with someone who may know more or have more schooling but you are the smartest person I know in more ways than one and I have no intention of doing anything with anyone!"

Penny smiled again and said, "that's sweet honey, and I know that but this is something I need to do." Leonard smiled in return as she gently touched his face, then he looked confused, "wait what are you going to do?" he asked nervously.

She giggled, "oh nothing like that, I've just been thinking about all the sciency stuff you guys like and I looked at a couple of the classes that my school offers and thought about trying one."

Leonard's face lit up, "really? That's great!"

"Not really, I looked at some of them and they look sooooo boring, I mean I don't know how you go through it everyday!" she said and his face drooped a bit.

Penny continued, "but... there was one that I think caught my eye," she paused as he looked at her, "introduction to physics."

There was a sparkle in Leonard's eyes as she said physics. She was really trying to make the things important in his life, important to her and that touched him in a way he had never really experienced. So rarely had a woman tried to change herself to better fit him than trying to change Leonard to better fit her. His mind briefly went towards Priya.

He shook his head clear and smiled. Not just a regular smile though, the one that always made Penny's heart light up, the boyish grin that always reminded her what an amazing man she had found. She wrapped her arms around his neck and said, "the course sheet says that its a general course designed for people who have no knowledge of the field and want to learn more about it. I figured this would be the best way to approach it."

Leonard just beamed at her, "I think that is an excellent idea and if you need it you are surrounded by 3 different physicists and an engineer ready to help."

"I know there are," Penny whispered before pulling back, "but it might take me a little while to get smart enough to talk the talk with you so in the meantime I bought these," she reached into a pocket and pulled out a thing pair of black framed glasses.

"Glasses?" Leonard asked.

"Mhmm," was her only response as she slowly slid them on her face.

They had not even full reached her nose when Leonard blurted, "Oh my god! You look so hot and smart!"

"I know right," Penny exclaimed happily, "they're so cute right? Watch this," she slid the glasses down her nose slightly and whispered seductively, "the atomic number for hydrogen... is 1."

"Okay, lets go," Leonard gasped taking Penny's hand and pulling her towards his bedroom.

"Where are we going?" she asked giggling.

"To my bedroom, so I can tear everything off but those glasses."

Penny giggled... _well this is new _ she thought.

**There we have it, hope we enjoyed! :) As always thank you to everyone who reads and reviews!**


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